How to Achieve
and Maintain Long & Healthy Black Hair
Your hair gives you the image you want to project
to the rest of the world. It is the first thing people
notice about you. It leaves that lasting impression.
Hair can be sexy. It can be ugly. You can cut it,
color, braid, weave, curl, or perm it. You can love
it or hate it, either way it’s yours. If you
want to make your hair more beautiful, longer and
healthier, you can.
Black Afro hair has a unique structure that can cause
some problems requiring special treatment. The shape
of Afro hair is elliptical with a natural tiny curl.
The curl allows moisture to escape from the hair shaft.
The natural curls constantly loop into one another,
bringing friction and stress to each hair. The elliptical
shape prevents natural hair oils secreted by the scalp
from traveling down the hair shafts to replace the
lost moisture.
This elliptical, curly structure has caused Afro hair
to be difficult to manage and easily damaged. Our
scalp tends to stay naturally oily, yet our hair is
often dry and brittle. If we learn to moisturize properly,
these problems are easily overcome and our hair will
become more beautiful than we ever believed possible.
Until recently, it was believed that black hair grows
slower than the hair of other races. Actually, black
hair grows just as fast as any other. The structure
of the hair is the cause of the problem. Natural scalp
oils that were meant to moisturize are unable to flow
down the elliptical shape of the hair. These oils
are blocked and remain on the scalp causing clogged
roots and dry hair. Our dry hair breaks off easily.
Just the heat of a blow dryer, curling iron or pressing
comb can badly damage the hair. When we perm we easily
cause damage to the weak hair. The clogged hair roots
slow down the normal growth rate. To overcome this
problem we must:
Shampoo to cleanse the scalp pores so they will not
become clogged.
Condition to remove static and keep the hair smooth.
And, most important of all, we must
Moisturize to supply our hair with a good substitute
for the natural scalp oils that were intended by nature.
Once we supply the correct moisture balance our hair
will be flexible, it won’t dry out and become
brittle, and the breakage at the ends will be minimized.
The hair will remain very strong and will be able
to get longer at the ends as it grows from the scalp.
Shampoo, conditioners, moisturizers, scalp products,
hairstyling products made specifically for the needs
of Black hair is the answer. The goal of these products
is to allow moisture, protein, vitamins and other
nutrients to penetrate deep inside hair shafts to
produce improvement in texture, porosity, and elasticity.
You should use products to smooth, add body, luster,
and reduce the tendency to tangle, while increasing
manageability.
This information is provided with the hope that we
can help you to enjoy your hair looking good rather
than damaged, more manageable and enjoyable to wear
just the way it is supposed to be. And if you choose
to chemically alter your hair, here is some good advice
to help you to avoid some problems.
Black People have extremely fragile hair that requires
especially gentle, knowledgeable treatment. What can
we do to help ourselves and how can we avoid the things
that damage our hair? Healthier, more stylish, less
frizzy, shinier, stronger and longer hair will soon
be yours if you follow the steps below.
GROWING YOUR HAIR
Long, shining, healthy hair is possible for every
healthy person. Your hair grows naturally, a little
everyday. The rate of hair growth varies between the
sexes and with age. Scalp hair grows faster in women
than in men and it tends to grow most rapidly between
the ages of fifteen and thirty. From the age of fifty
to sixty growth rate begins to decline. The better
your nutrition, the better your hair will grow. A
certain amount of scalp hair is shed daily in order
that new hair may grow. An average hair strand remains
growing on your scalp for two to five years.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE YOUR HAIR GROW LONGER
AND STAY HEALTHY?
While there are many causes that prevent your hair
from growing longer, there is no one magic formula
that can make your hair grow faster. This information
will supply you with the knowledge you need to insure
healthy and longer hair growth for yourself.
The SIX steps to longer, stronger, healthy hair:
1. Shampoo Properly! An important beginning is to
shampoo your hair least once a week to keep hair free
of dirt and grease.
2. Condition weekly. Immediately following your shampoo.
3. Moisturize daily. Moisturizing correctly is your
most important step. Long, strong healthy hair depends
on it.
4. Care for your Scalp. Proper scalp care can lead
to a beautiful and healthier head of hair.
5. Eat a balanced diet! Indispensable to the life
and health of your hair is your blood stream. Your
hair will grow long and strong if your blood can properly
nourish it. Your hair will become weak if it is inadequately
nourished.
6. Avoid Hair Damage. Don’t make the common
mistakes that ruin your hair.
